#thread; asmodeus&kabaiel

[ofginjxints]

@ourcwnside topsy turvy bois 💖

Another day, another excuse to get the angel away from his rainforest in a concrete jungle. Asmodeus had secured himself an invitation to a restaurant opening in Mayfair with a plus one. It was interesting how many new places were opening in the new world. It was as though everybody approached the world anew, he and the angel too. They were spending a lot more time together, and the demon was perfectly alright with that.

He hadn't bothered really announcing his presence, instead strolling into the greenhouse Kabaiel was working diligently in, with his usual bravado. He had sported a fetching royal blue three-piece suit with red accents, brown leather belt and shoes - he called it smart casual, but those looking at him would see a particularly sharply dressed man.

"Kabaiel, my dear boy - wash your hands and get a decent suit on. We have an appointment in Mayfair in two hours for canapes and a decadent amount of Dom Perignon."

[ofginjxints]

Asmodeus scoffed with a wry grin. "It depends on your definition of freedom, dear boy." He mused, taking time to take a sip from his glass before continuing. "It all tended to get quite stuffy and rigid when all we did was evil and wrongdoings. There's only so many things you can set on fire before you've seen and done it all, you see."

The demon raised a brow at the very insinuation of his goodness. "I am not good. I simply am." He retorted. "It would appear, though, I've been something of a bad influence on you through the years. You defied God a few too many times to be good yourself." He teased, how silly it was they were still discussing the sides of good and evil when they had shrugged them off in the Not-Apocalypse. "Would you like some nibbles for the table?" Asmodeus gestured with a flick of his wrist and a waiter miraculously forgot about his current task and beelined for their table.

One elbow propped up on the table, Kabaiel rested his chin on his hand, listening intently.

"Well, yeah, I figured the other demons weren't exactly thrilling company," he teased, grinning ear-to-ear. Angels, by and large, had a reputation for being stuffy, dull, rule-followers with no imagination. So the fact that Asmodeus tended to prefer his company over that of other demons---or even humans, as interesting as they were---had always been a point of pride for Kabaiel.

"What I meant is," he sat up so he could take another drink of his champagne before settling back into a comfortable slouch. "I mean, I know Hell still has rules and things you can and can't do, but it always seemed like your lot had a little more freedom than mine."

Kabaiel cocked his head, looking his companion over.

"Funny world, isn't it? Hell's supposed to be the experts on evil, but they could never tell how much of it humans are capable of without any demonic influence. You've never had me fooled, though, Asi. I know how good you are, at your core."

[ofginjxints]

Asmodeus hadn't even brought his glass to his lips when Kabaiel presented a rather loaded question. He paused, turning to meet the angel's gaze before taking a pensive drink first. He was definitely not prepared to tell him the whole truth of his fall, but since he was being his usual inquisitive self, he had absolutely no choice but to be candid. There was no reason not to be anymore.

"Well, there was a reason I much preferred it here, on Earth." He gestured around him, taking another drink before setting his glass down and threading his fingers together upon his lap. "It was all doom and gloom down there. You saw only a very brief glimpse of it when we did our little swap. They're always like that. Always negative and so bloody boring. All ancient, dated torture methods and frights." He rolled his eyes. "Thankfully they were quite out of touch, so I just reported on any chaos happening here...took credit for it." He confessed. "They didn't know what humans are capable of, but I never underestimated them. Just let them be. Where there is good, there is bad. I didn't really have to lift a finger - just reported back once every so often."

Nothing further was said about the drive, though the amused twinkle in the angel's warm, brown eyes said enough.

"You know I never turn down a good champagne, Asi," Kabaiel replied, his menu going ignored as well, attention focused entirely on the demon sitting beside him. Incredible, really, that this was something they could do now, without having to look over their shoulders at every turn. Kabaiel, for one, was thrilled to finally be free of Heaven's shackles. It was nothing like humans thought it to be, some blissful Paradise free of fear or cruelty. But he knew very little about the goings-on of Downstairs and (as was common for him), he burned with curiosity.

"What was it like," he asked once their glasses had been poured. "being, you know...a proper demon? I know we both did some of each other's assignments, but the occasional Temptation isn't the same as actually working for Hell."

[ofginjxints]

Kabaiel was always cheeky. He was never the type to cause any real harm and Asmodeus knew he was more than capable of performing enough miracles to keep them from being discorporated, however, he was still driving far too fast for his liking.

He had let out a yelp, one hand clutching at the handle above him, the other at his seat, as the angel rounded a corner with far too much reckless abandon before finally stopping.

With furrowed brows he huffed as he stepped out of the blasted vehicle, standing to his feet and brushing down his three piece suit.

"I enjoy as much as I do usually." He deadpanned before gesturing from below for a minor miracle for a table to miraculously free up just as they arrived. Asmodeus requested a table for two when at the host stand and they were seated promptly.

"What say you to a bottle of Dom Perignon 2006, my dear?" He asked over at the angel without so much as glancing at the menus they were presented.

A furtive glance Asi's way revealed the anxious grip he had on his seat and---warm brown eyes twinkling mischievously---Kabaiel pressed just a little harder on the accelerator. Despite his deep affection for the demon (though affection was hardly a strong enough word for his feelings), he did so enjoy pushing his buttons. Just a little, of course, and never with any real malice. Besides, they weren't in any real danger of discorporation. Kabaiel knew how impossible it would be for exiled agents such as themselves to be granted new bodies should anything happen to theirs, and a small handful of nigh-imperceptible miracles kept both streetlights and other drivers from impeding their drive.

We'll manage to nick a bottle and slink away...now there was a thought! The idea of the two of them slinking away together sounded thrilling. Dare he even call it...romantic? No, that would be presumptuous of him! Though Kabaiel had made peace long ago with the fact that he would have followed Asmodeus right down to Hell if it meant being his, he doubted his feelings were anything but one-sided.

Still, it was nice to daydream.

Until that daydreaming nearly caused him to pass right by the Ritz. Muttering a decidedly un-angelic expletive under his breath, Kabaiel made a sharp turn and the Bentley screeched into a parking spot. That had been close. Quickly unbuckling, Kabaiel hopped out of the car and scampered around to the passenger side to open Asi's door for him.

"What?" He flashed a cheeky grin. "You didn't enjoy the ride?"